Jordan Taylor Playing “Catch Up” in Acura GTP Debut

Photo: Jamey Price/WTR Andretti

Jordan Taylor said he feels like he’s playing “catch up” to some of his competitors who have a season of GTP experience under their belt in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

Taylor and Louis Deletraz are drivers for Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti’s newly expanded second Acura ARX-06 that sees the 2017 DPi champion return to his family’s team after a four-year full-time stint with Corvette Racing.

Speaking with Sportscar365, Taylor outlined some of the key factors he’s had to come to grips with, particularly the complexity of a LMDh car that’s required an extreme level of studying to understand the various systems.

“It’s way different from a GT3 car especially. From a DPi, it’s just a different animal,” he said. “The way it makes lap time. It’s got more power, less downforce, less drag…

“So the way you’re kind of driving the car with all of the systems is just crazy to understand.

“A DPi for me feels historic compared to driving this thing. I’m just trying to wrap my head around, one driving the car, and two understanding how I can help myself with all of the tools and systems in the car.

“It’s a lot to learn. I’ve spent so much time reading documents and manuals and understanding what it does and how it works.

“But I think the only time to really understand it is to feel it on track and go through the changes myself to get a driver’s perspective on what it actually does.

“It’s been fun. I’ve never read so much information in my life. Every single car I’ve driven has come with a driver manual but this the only one I’ve actually had to study night after night.

“For me it’s a fun challenge. It’s something way different, something I’ve never experienced, and it’s fun to be back in prototypes fighting for an overall win and not having to look in your mirror all the time.”

Taylor admitted he’s not yet in prime position compared to other GTP drivers, such as his brother, Ricky, and his co-driver Filipe Albuquerque, who have a season’s worth of racing the platform.

“I’m definitely playing catch-up to the guys who have been in the cars for a year but I think from a driver’s perspective I feel fine to drive the car,” said Jordan.

“It’s more of understanding how I can find those last little bits of an advantage with the systems these guys have been developing for a year-and-a-half now.

“I think it’s nice, in a way, to have them because they’re so experienced with them and I can ask them questions and they can give me perfect answers, whereas last year they were asking themselves the same question and no one really had an answer yet.

“The learning curve can be expedited now for the new guys coming in. The drivers’ manual has been refined and the systems have been refined.

“It’s easier for a driver to jump in now and learn it but you’re still going to be a little bit behind.

“I think with Daytona being the first race, a 24-hour race, you’re not going crazy for the first 16 anyway, so you don’t have to be completely on top of it and you can use it a little bit as seat time until the end of the race and go to Sebring with a much better understanding.”

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John